Left) Normal knee joint: Right) Knee joint with changes of Osteoarthritis
Overview of Treatment Osteoarthritis (Knee)
Osteoarthritis is the aging process which involves wear and tear of the joint. Goal of the treatment is to reduce pain and so that the patient can enjoy active lifestyle.
Lifestyle changes
If pain is minimal and very early stage of osteoarthritis Dr. Abhijit Ranaware will recommend modifying activity e.g. - to avoid climbing stairs, cross legged sitting or squatting. He will also advise certain lifestyle changes to slow down the disease progress.
Weight loss- If patient is overweight, losing weigh will help to avoid less amount of stress on knee joint and thus may get pain relief. Patient who are overweight (BMI >25) are encouraged to lose weight and maintain their weight at a lower level with an appropriate program of dietary modification and regular exercise.
Exercise– it is recommended to switch to low-impact activities like waking, cycling, or swimming. Avoid running and high impact sports.
Physiotherapy
Specific rehab programme for osteoarthritis is guided by in-house physiotherapist. Low impact aerobic exercises will improve knee movement and strengthen muscles which supports knee joint.
Knee braces
Some patients may feel better with knee joint off-loading braces by reducing stress on the knee joint.
Medications
Short term pain medications are advised if pain is not responding to initial treatment. It is better to avoid long term medications as it has side effects.
Steroid injection
Dr. Abhijit Ranaware may give single dose of steroid injection in patients who have sudden onset painful episode of knee joint (acute exacerbation). Steroid acts like strong anti-inflammatory which is given inside joint. Â
Viscosupplementation
Artificially manufactured joint fluid (Hyaluron) is given inside the knee joint as a multiple or single injection therapy.  It acts like lubricant and gives symptomatic pain relief for several months.  So the patient’s compliance for exercises is much increased.
Since cartilage cannot heal on its own, certain patients may need to undergo surgical treatment for pain relief and slow down further progress of osteoarthritis. Surgery is considered if pain worsens and causes disability in doing daily routine activities:
Arthroscopy
Key hole surgery to remove torn and loose cartilage pieces and smoothen the worn off cartilage. Patient get relived of pain associated with mechanical symptoms like repeated locking or catching of knee joint.
Osteotomy
Early Osteoarthritis - Upper tibia osteotomy to realign knee joint axis and pain reliefÂ
Surgical procedure done when patient has early stage osteoarthritis and cartilage damaged involving just one side of the knee joint. Pain is localised over inner aspect of the knee joint.
Early Osteoarthritis - Upper tibia osteotomy to realign knee joint axis and pain reliefÂ
The upper end of the shin bone (tibia) is cut and realigned to relieve pressure off of the affected part of the knee joint.
Are you suffering from knee osteoarthritis and want to know treatment options for pain relief?
You can consult Dr. Abhijit Ranaware (Knee and sports injury Specialist)
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Joint replacement
Dr. Abhijit Ranaware, Knee and Sports Surgeon in Pune is highly experienced to treat young active individuals with knee joint preservation procedures like arthroscopy and osteotomy and helps patients to delay need for joint replacement. In severe and more advanced arthritis the damaged surfaces of the knee joint are removed and replaced with artificial components. The knee replacement can be partial or total.
